Trapezius Muscle

Exercise Description and Database For the Trapezius Muscle Group

If you want to look jacked, you need a good set of traps. There are very few muscles that stand out like the traps. Sure a big chest or massive arms look great, but nothing stands out like well developed traps.

The trapezius muscles (traps), are the huge muscle group in the upper portion of your back. They form a huge diamond-shaped kite running from the base of your skull, to your shoulders, then down to the middle of your back.

I will cover how the traps work. Things may get a little technical. If you don’t care about all this and just want to get to the exercises, click the link below…

Trapezius Muscle Group

Muscle Action

When people think of traps, shrugs are generally the first thing that comes to mind. But that isn’t their only function.

The traps take up a lot of area. They span from the base of the skull all the way down to the middle of your back.

This large span requires the trap to attach to many different points along the spine. And since it’s broken into 3 different sections it plays a major role in many movements. It rotates, retracts, elevates, and depresses the scapula, your shoulder blades.

Elevation – The upper fibers are worked primarily by shrugging the shoulder blades up.

Retraction – The middle fibers are primarily worked by pulling the shoulder blades together.

Depression – The lower fibers are primarily worked by pulling the shoulder blades down.

They also work together with other muscle groups to stabilize the scapulae and rotate the shoulder.

1. Scapular Elevation

Raising the shoulder blades upward. Think shrugging your shoulders. For this movement, the main fibers of the trapezius muscle used are the upper fibers. Exercise – Barbell Shrug

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2. Lateral or Upward Scapular Rotation

Elevate the shoulder blade (scapula), while at the same time rotating the inferior angle of the shoulder blade to the outside. To get a better understanding of this movement, think of what happens to your shoulder blade when you raise your hand in class. Exercise – Face Pull

All three workout together, along with the rhomboids to retract and adduct the scapula.

Watch The Trapezius Muscle Group In Action

This video is more of an educational video. It can get a little wordy, so be warned. I still think it’s worth watching. It does give you a good overview of how each portion of the trap muscle works.

Exercises That Work The Traps

The traps get worked very hard during a number of different lifts like deadlifts, shoulder exercises and Olympic lifts. The only exercises that really isolate the traps are upright rows and shrugs. Those lifts tend to focus more on the upper trap fibers.

Typically, I don’t include trap specific training in my workouts because I do so many deadlifts, Olympic lifts, and rows that they get plenty of work. But if you’re looking to add more exercises into your routine that hit the traps give these a try…

Trap Isolation Exercises

These are the classic trap exercises. They mostly target the upper trap fibers helping you get that thick muscular neck.

Shrug Variations

Barbell Shrug

Trap Bar Shrug

Dumbbell Shrug

Isometric Shrugs

Chest Supported Shrug

Overhead Shrug

Up Right Rows

Barbell

Rope

Dumbbell

EZ Bar

Cable machine with all the same grips as above

Isometric Trap Exercises

These exercises are excellent for building up your traps, but they’re not trap specific exercises. What makes these exercises so great is the amount of weight you can use. Your traps are supporting a very heavy load making them work hard to transfer force through your body and to the weight.

Mid and Lower Trap Fibers

Pulls are an excellent way to work the lower and middle fibers of the traps. To get the most out of these exercises, it’s important to retract and depress your shoulder blades.

Face Pulls

I, Y, T, W, L, A shoulder stability exercises

Rows

Seated

Bent Over

One Arm Rows

Sternum Pull Ups

Surprising Trap Exercise

Cable lateral raises

Bret Contreras is kind of a geek when it comes to the science of lifting. He hooked up a bunch of high tech gadgets and took readings of different exercises. What he found was that this exercise works incredible well for the upper traps. Even more than shrugs.

Stretches and Drills

Forearm Wall Slides

Scapular Wall Slides

Overhead Wall Slides With Shrug

When doing many of these trap exercises it’s important to start the exercise with the traps. When you row the first movement is to pull your shoulders back. The same goes with a pull down. Start the movement with your shoulder blades. Pull them back and down. Then finish the pull.